2010 Darwin Awards

Honoring Charles Darwin, the father of
evolution, Darwin Awards commemorate those who improve our gene
pool--by removing themselves from it.

Carbidschieten
2010 Darwin Award Winner
Confirmed True by Darwin

(1 January 2010, Netherlands) Every now and then a completely new window
into the world opens before our eyes. Here we have rural Dutch families
enjoying their traditional winter sport, carbidschieten, or Carbide
Shooting. It's a ridiculously dangerous machine akin to a potato gun,
designed to hurl projectiless from the mouth of a metal milk can.

Carbide shooting, that wacky Dutch New Year's tradition, begins with
moistening calcicum carbide and placing it in a large milk container. The
damp CaCb emits acetylene (ethyne) gas which builds up inside the
container. Then a spark is supplied, causing the pressurised gas bomb to blow
the lid (or packing) off the milk jug.

Our nominee, a 54-year-old male, was having the time of his life--right up
until the moment he poured a container filled with liquid oxygen over
a fire to "flare it up" -- and the container obligingly exploded.